Eduardo González The Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, discussed the situation in the Gaza Strip and in the Middle East with his Irish counterpart, Micheál Martin, yesterday, and agreed in their condemnation of the death of six Israeli hostages kidnapped by Hamas since the terrorist attacks of 7 October. “I have spoken with my Irish counterpart, Micheál Martin, about the situation in Gaza and the Middle East,” Albares said on his official account on the social network X. ‘We condemn the killing of six Israeli hostages held captive by Hamas,” he continued. “We urgently need a ceasefire agreement and humanitarian aid for Gaza”, added Albares, who warned that the decisions of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) “are binding”, in reference to the preliminary measures adopted by this court to protect the Palestinian civilian population of the Gaza Strip and for Israel to put an end to the military operation in Rafah and allow access to humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip by opening the border crossings. Spain has joined the proceedings initiated by South Africa before the ICJ on the Application of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide in the Gaza Strip. For his part, Martin reported via the same social network that he and Albares had discussed “the situation in the Middle East, including the need for an immediate ceasefire and the release of all hostages”, and “the need to further the Arab peace plan”. “Recent developments in the West Bank are also deeply concerning,” he continued. “We’ll continue to work closely with Spain and European and regional partners in the coming weeks, incl to renew political momentum behind international efforts to implement two-State solution,” he added. Ireland was, together with Spain and Norway, one of three countries to announce recognition of the State of Palestine on 28 May. On Sunday, both Spain and Ireland condemned the killing of the six Israeli hostages by Hamas. In a statement, the Spanish Foreign Ministry “roundly” condemned the death of the hostages and reiterated its “call to the parties and mediators for a permanent and lasting ceasefire agreement, which would allow the immediate release of all hostages, the massive influx of humanitarian aid and progress towards peace in the Middle East”. For his part, Martin condemned the “brutal’ killing of the six hostages and called “urgently” for “a ceasefire and the release of all remaining hostages” and urged “all involved to redouble their efforts to reach such a deal”.
